TORONTO, Ont. — TransCore’s Canadian spot market freight index rose 13% month-over-month in May, marking the best month for spot market freight this year.

Year-over-year volumes were down slightly from the peaks of early 2011, down 2% from last May and only 5% off the record set in 2008, TransCore reports.

Cross-border postings remained steady at 73% of overall load postings, the index shows. Intra-Canada postings made up 23% of total load volumes.

Equipment postings also experienced double-digit increases, TransCore reports, with a 10% gain month-over-month and 15% improvement year-over-year. Meanwhile, the equipment-to-loads ratio dropped to the lowest level seen this year.

The top destinations for loads imported into Canada were: Ontario, 54%; Quebec, 22%; Western Canada, 20%; and Atlantic Canada, 3%. Western Canada saw a slight decrease month-over-month, while Quebec saw a 2% gain.

Canadian regions where loads originated in May included: Western Canada, 45%; Ontario 26%; Quebec, 21%; and Atlantic Canada, 7%.

The top states where loads destined for Canada originated were Ohio, Illinois, California, Pennsylvania and Texas. The top destinations for freight originating in Canada were New York, Texas, Pennsylvania, California and Washington.